Elon FIRES Twitter's general counsel James Baker for 'vetting internal files on Hunter Biden laptop scandal and DELAYING release of second tranche' - ex-FBI lawyer was James Comey's deputy and involved in Russian collusion investigation

  • Elon Musk fired Twitter General Counsel Jim Baker on Tuesday
  • Accused Baker of 'suppression of information important to the public dialogue'
  • Journalist Matt Taibbi claimed Baker 'vetted' Twitter Files before Friday's release
  • Documents related to the 2020 censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal 
  • Taibbi claimed Baker delayed the release of a second tranche of internal files
  • Journalist Bari Weiss will soon publish the second batch of files, Taibbi said 

By Keith Griffith For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

Twitter's general counsel James A. Baker was fired on Tuesday

Twitter's general counsel James A. Baker was fired on Tuesday

Chief Twit Elon Musk has fired Twitter's general counsel James A. Baker, citing his alleged involvement in suppressing the release of internal documents regarding Twitter's censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.

'In light of concerns about Baker's possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today,' Musk wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.

Musk added that Baker's explanation of the events surrounding the laptop saga was 'unconvincing.' 

Journalist Matt Taibbi, who released the first batch of internal files about the Hunter saga on Friday, claimed that Baker had been fired in part for 'vetting the first batch of 'Twitter Files" – without knowledge of new management.' 

Also on Tuesday, Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, sent Baker a letter requesting his appearance before the House Oversight Committee next year, when the GOP is set to take control of the House.  

Before joining Twitter, Baker was former FBI general counsel under Director James Comey, and played a key role in the saga surrounding the Bureau's controversial probe into possible collusion between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. 

'In light of concerns about Baker’s possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today,' Musk wrote in a tweet on Tuesday

'In light of concerns about Baker's possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today,' Musk wrote in a tweet on Tuesday

Baker's departure from the social media giant follows the publication last week of internal documents showing him and other executives discussing Twitter's October 2020 ban on a news report about Hunter's foreign business deals, based on emails from his abandoned laptop. 

On Friday, Taibbi published the batch of internal documents, calling them the 'Twitter Files," which included an exchange between Baker and former VP of Global Comms Brandon Borrman.

Borrman asks, regarding banning an article about Hunter Biden under Twitter's 'hacked materials' policy: 'Can we truthfully claim that this is part of the policy?' 

Baker responded, appearing to argue in favor of maintaining the ban, because 'caution is warranted'.

In a new Twitter thread on Tuesday, Taibbi alleged that Baker had been fired after he was discovered 'vetting' the internal documents before their release, and delaying the release of a second tranche of files to Taibbi and another journalist, Bari Weiss.

Taibbi wrote that 'new management,' meaning Musk, was not aware of Baker's role in reviewing the files before their release.  

Former FBI general counsel James A. Baker, who went on to work for Twitter, is seen in a file photo

Former FBI general counsel James A. Baker, who went on to work for Twitter, is seen in a file photo

Taibbi tweeted: 'The process for producing the "Twitter Files" involved delivery to two journalists (Bari Weiss and me) via a lawyer close to new management. However, after the initial batch, things became complicated. 

'Over the weekend, while we both dealt with obstacles to new searches, it was @bariweiss who discovered that the person in charge of releasing the files was someone named Jim. When she called to ask 'Jim's' last name, the answer came back: 'Jim Baker.'

''My jaw hit the floor,' says Weiss.'

Taibbi continued: 'Baker is a controversial figure. He has been something of a Zelig of FBI controversies dating back to 2016, from the Steele Dossier to the Alfa-Server mess. He resigned in 2018 after an investigation into leaks to the press. 

'The news that Baker was reviewing the "Twitter files" surprised everyone involved, to say the least. 

'New Twitter chief Elon Musk acted quickly to "exit" Baker Tuesday.'

Baker, Musk, and the trial of the Democrat lawyer accused of lying to the FBI 

James Baker has long been in the crosshairs of Elon Musk, who on October 27 became his boss.

Baker played a key role in a series of events that led to Democrat lawyer Michael Sussmann going on trial in May, accused of lying to the FBI.

He was not accused of giving the FBI false information, but rather lying about who he worked for.

The saga began when Sussmann was given information from a group of data scientists who analyzed odd internet data they thought might suggest clandestine communications between a server for the Trump Organization and a server for Alfa Bank, a Kremlin-linked Russian financial institution.

Sussmann then texted Baker, at the time the bureau's general counsel, to say he had information the FBI should be aware of.

'I'm coming on my own — not on behalf of a client or company — want to help the bureau,' Sussmann wrote in his text to Baker.

Baker testified that he was certain Sussmann was acting as an individual, and would likely not have met him were he working for the Clinton campaign.

Sussmann, a cybersecurity specialist, had worked for the Democratic Party in the context of Russia's hacking of its servers, and Russia publishing emails from the servers.

Sussmann was also connected to the Democrats via one of his partners at the law firm Perkins Coie, Marc Elias, who was representing the Clinton campaign and hired Fusion GPS.

Yet multiple people - including Elias - testified that Sussmann was indeed acting on his own accord, and argued that actually going to the FBI was not in the interests of the Clinton campaign, which would have preferred a New York Times story drawing attention to the assertions.

The FBI later decided the allegations of links between the Trump campaign and the Russian bank were unfounded.

Musk tweeted during the trial that he thought Sussmann had 'created an elaborate hoax' about Russia, in a bid to help Clinton.

On May 16, staunchly pro-Trump Congressman Jim Jordan tweeted: 'Christopher Steele created the dossier.

'Glenn Simpson sold it to the press.

'Michael Sussman took it to the FBI.

'And Democrats and the media lied to you about it all.'

Musk then replied in agreement.

'All true,' he tweeted on May 20.

'Bet most people still don't know that a Clinton campaign lawyer, using campaign funds, created an elaborate hoax about Trump and Russia.

'Makes you wonder what else is fake.'

On May 31, the jury concluded that Sussmann had not lied to the FBI and cleared him.

 

FBIDonald TrumpElon MuskHunter Biden

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